The Last Princess [EDITED]

BONUS CHAPTER-AIDEN'S POV

CHAPTER 31/32, as promised!

"Of course not. We will win," Elvina said, her voice determined.

Aiden watched her, beyond proud of his future Queen. From not believing in herself, she'd gone to reassuring everyone. Like a Queen.

He didn't know whether they would defeat Queen Ivy or not — he just knew that Elvina Elowen would always be his Queen.

"So, all good, right?" Arden asked. Aiden nodded at his twin. "Okay. We shouldn't spend too much time here."

"I'll leave — El, you can come back a bit later," Maple said, glancing at the the Princess.

"Yes, I'm feeling miraculously better now." Elvina chuckled, her purple eyes sparkling. Still, it was her, beneath the disguise.

"And I, being an honorable soldier, shall escort you back," Arden said, looking at Maple. The girl blushed and nodded.

Aiden shook his head. His brother was quite the charmer.

The two climbed into the tunnel, the tapestry closing behind them.

Aiden stayed where he was. "I'll wait for some time, too."

Elvina turned to him. "Aiden, why'd you decide to join the rebels? Was your family just born into it?"

He exhaled, glancing at his fingers, clasped together. The memories rushed over him, threatening to take over. "No. We worked at the palace first. I was born here, in fact." Aiden remembered the gowns, the balls. "I always hated how the royals had such luxury, and we — the servants — didn't."

"That luxury soon went away."

He looked up to see her giving him a stern look, and sighed. "I know. I know that now. But one day, my grandfather was framed by a soldier — they claimed he'd killed one of them — but he didn't."

He remembered his grandfather telling him that everything would be alright. But nothing was. It was cruel, what the soldiers had done to him.

"He was executed."

"Yes," Aiden said, remembering the screams. He hadn't shut his eyes during the execution. "We left immediately, and somehow father met the rebels. That's how."

"I'm so sorry," Elvina said gently, leaning closer to him. "That's terrible. Were you close to him?"

Aiden nodded, looking up at her, so close now. "Very. He was everything to me."

"Aiden—"

He could hear it in her voice, the sympathy. He finally met her sparkling eyes. "I know. And it's not like it didn't happen to you. You and your sisters."

"I miss them," she said, lips twisting.

He nudged her softly, wanting to take the grief out of her voice. "I miss my grandfather too."

"But that's what we're trying to prevent. Things like that might not happen if Ivy is gone," Elvina said, her eyebrows creasing. After a moment, she asked, "Is it hard? Training with the people you might have to hurt? Especially if you're friends with some of them now."

Aiden nodded. Not all of the men were bad.  "It is. But it's necessary. I will avenge my grandfather's death."

She shrugged, her eyes wistful. "I want to get justice for my sisters, even if it means getting rid of my mother."

"Killing your mother," he corrected. He knew she didn't want to do it, but she had to. He had to make her accept that.

She nodded, eyes turning to the ground. "As terrible as it sounds, yes. I probably will have to kill my mother."

It wasn't terrible. The Queen had been no mother to her. "Well, she wasn't much of a mother to you, if that's anything," Aiden said. He could see the guilt in her eyes. Nalvia, she was so kind. 

Still, Elvina shook her head. "She wasn't."

"I think she deserves it. After everything she did to you — "

Aiden let his eyes drift to her back, remembering that day, so long ago. When he'd realized everything he'd thought about her was wrong. When he'd seen how strong she was.

He crept closer, brushing her blonde hair aside. They were even closer now. "Can I see them?" He asked, gaze fixated on her creamy neck.

"I don't know why you'd want to — they're awful." She shrugged, her voice self-deprecating.

Awful? They weren't, not at all.

He unlaced her dress, biting his lip at the scarred skin. Her own mother had done this to her yet she was still ready to face her. Nalvia, he couldn't describe how wonderful she was.

"They might be ugly — but they're you. That makes them beautiful."

He heard her suck in a breath. He hadn't meant to say that, but it was true. She was so, so beautiful sometimes it made his heart ache to know how much he would never deserve her.

"Aiden Poplar, did you just call me beautiful?" Her tone was light, incredulous, melting away the tension in the room.

He chuckled, tracing a patch of rough skin. "I suppose I did."

"I'll always remember this day," she said, leaning back. Some of her hair brushed his hand lightly.

"You should. I've only called Meadow and my mother beautiful before," Aiden said, letting his hand drift to other places on her back. He was careful to be gentle. 

"No one else?" She asked, her voice surprised.

"No." He shrugged. There'd been no one until her. Until she came, with her red hair and her green eyes, her fierce determination and raw courage.

"Why not?" She asked.

"I never really had the time. And I suppose no one truly caught my eye," he admitted, pulling his fingers away. He had to let go before he was unable to.

"Anyone caught your eye now?" She asked, grinning in that light way of hers, turning to face him.

Aiden just looked at her, slightly afraid of the way his heart jolted when her eyes met his. He didn't fight it, though. Still, he turned her around and laced up her dress again, much as he didn't want to.

"It's possible."

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked, her voice breathy.

He stood up and walked around her, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it, her fingers soft and small, but her grip strong.

And then he was gazing at her, at her beautiful face but mostly at her eyes, at her bright, fierce eyes, and all he could think about was that there was a battle soon and he didn't want to lose her, not without doing what his heart begged him to.

"This."

His heart thumping, he leaned down and kissed her.

She melted into the kiss without any struggle, and Aiden's legs trembled because he was kissing Elvina Elowen, his Princess and his future Queen and her lips were so soft that his heart swelled, and all he could think about was her.

She pulled away, taking deep breaths, gazing at him with those disarming eyes, and he could almost see the green in them.

"How was that?" He asked, trying to smile. It had been utterly overwhelming—hopefully, she'd felt the same way.

She only pulled him closer, crashing her lips to him again, and he smiled into the kiss, smiled wider than he ever had before. His entire body was humming, and when he pulled away, she was smiling right back at him.

And in that moment, nothing mattered, not the war or her title or anything, because Elvina Elowen had kissed him back. He could feel a strange emotion rushing through him, but he welcomed it, smiling down at his Princess.

At the girl he knew he loved.